With films like Brick and Looper under his belt, fans were naturally very excited to see what Rian Johnson would bring to the Star Wars universe. According to Lawrence Kasdan and Oscar Isaac, Rian won't disappoint. "Rian Johnson is a friend of mine — he's going to make some weird thing," said Kasdan to The LA Times. He continued, "If you've seen Rian's work, you know it's not going be like anything that's ever been in Star Wars."
Poe Dameron actor Oscar Isaac added, "I would agree with [Kasdan]. Rian is definitely going to places and investigating things that haven’t really been done in the Star Wars universe. For me, it’s so fun getting to explore different things that I wouldn’t have expected in this universe. In some ways, it feels like we’re making an independent film. Certain things we get to play with – this kind of intimacy that we get to find – it's special. It’s been really fun."
For those who thought The Force Awakens was essentially just a remake of A New Hope, this is definitely good news. However, stepping outside of the traditional Star Wars storytelling formula was something attempted by the prequels and that failed miserably. Will Johnson truly be able to deliver a unique Star Wars experience? We'll have to wait until December 17, 2017 to find out.
Star Wars: Episode VIII is an upcoming sci-fi, space opera from Lucafilm and Walt Disney. Rian Johson directs from script he also wrote. The film stars Daisy Ridley, Oscar Issac, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran. Principal photography began at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom in February 2016. Rian Johnson is also writing the script for Episode IX but will relinquish the director's chair to Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow.